


Against All Logic

by MariekoWest



Category: Dragon Ball Z, GohanxPiccolo
Genre: F/M, M/M, No Plot/Plotless, Other, Pointless Filler, Practice Piece, Unrequited Love, ザンギャ, ザンＰ, ドラゴンボール, ピッコロ大魔王ＪＲ/ピッコロさん, 孫悟飯ＪＲ, 飯Ｐ
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-08 20:12:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5511533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MariekoWest/pseuds/MariekoWest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zangya is revived & settling in with the good guys, while trying to come to terms with her unrequited feelings for a certain fine-looking Namek. <b>[3rd Revision of 2016/08/12]</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	Against All Logic

**Author's Note:**

> An experimental piece at most. Contains references to stories yet to be written (also confusing shifts in POV & time jumps which I'm too lazy to mend). If this were an episode in the anime, it would be a filler.

* * *

Zangya woke to a peaceful morning. She breathed in the cool breeze that kissed her face, bringing with it the aroma of wild flowers. _Her wildflowers_. And somehow, despite everything, she was growing to like her new life as a defender of justice.

Once a ruthless member of the Galaxy Soldiers, she used to scoff at the very idea of justice, righteousness, and the like. But now, as fate would have it, she was here, lying on a comfortable bed, on top of the closest thing to heaven—literally a floating haven in the sky; and most importantly…

Close to a certain Namek she had been deeply taken with.

She smiled to herself, remembering the day that he himself planted the seed of the extinct flower from her home planet and worked his magic so hard just to ensure it grew properly. She could not believe it when she saw the flowers bloom so richly again. Even if the Earth-born Namek had only done it because she practically begged him to (and as a sort of payment for what she had done for him in HFIL), she didn't mind at all. It was still the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for her and she couldn't ask for anything more… At least for the moment.

*"Piccolo- _kun_ is not only handsome but really nice even if he pretends not to be, isn't he?" Zangya said to the vivid yellow scarlet-stained * _Amranxis_ petals seemingly waving to her with its wispy tendrils in the pot on the windowpane. "Piccolo-kun…" she whispers to them again, loving the way his name felt on her lips. She cuddled the fluffy pink pillow right next to her (the one she had given to him). With a sigh, she brought the soft pillow to her face – and inhaled deeply. After many weeks of it perched in a divan in his room where he rested, it now smelled like him; and sleeping with it was her not-so-secret guilty pleasure.

Unlike most of the beings she commonly associated with, Piccolo always smelled clean; like nature after the rain. Even his sweat had a scent like fresh morning dew drops -earthy fragrant with a hint of heated sweetness. She didn't know much about Nameks, but she knew Piccolo rarely ate and hardly took in anything but water (which she speculated was probably why he smelled so pleasant). He was much like a tree… strong, sturdy, dependable... and majestically beautiful.

She knew it annoyed him, finding that she slept in his room when he wasn't around. He never said anything, but she could always tell by the way he would close his eyes with a calming breath albeit the popping vein in his temple. Yet she couldn't help it; her hands defensively hugged the pillow tighter to her body again, the soft texture tickling her skin. She longed to be close to him. But for now, she knew, this was as close as she could get…

"Piccolo- _kun_ , take it!" said what would seem like a reformed Zangya in a flowing above the knee plain lilac dress which highlighted her orange and blue-green hues, and flattered every curve of her body. It was one of *Bloomer's famous get-together parties many weeks ago, and the first she was civilly invited to attend. It was also Christmas, and the first time in her entire life that she had gone out of her way to give anyone a gift out of the "goodness of her heart".

Growing up rough, it was always easy to act cocky and cold-hearted around everyone. But somehow around the Namek, she found herself questioning what she came to know as customary. There was something about him, the first time they met; that penetrating inscrutable stare of his that made her feel naked and helpless beneath it. Of course, she was too busy loathing him then to even stop to think about what those feelings he incited in her meant. It was too late to do anything by the time she realized the cause of the anomaly; a simple and even anticlimactic one:

_She had fallen for him._

Of course, the moniker "Piccolo the Demon King " was not unfamiliar -- having spent most of her time with the worst souls in the galaxy in HFIL, including the man himself. What she wasn't prepared for, was how the son of the said infamous “Demon King” was just as nauseatingly noble as rumours portrayed him. When she first saw him at their specious Battle Island arena, she didn't know why she felt an exigent urge to be the one to crush him and so she made sure to wait for him. But she couldn't understand her intense disappointment either, to have had to battle a *different fighter in his place because he decided to forfeit. She made quick work of the mi, irritated by the fact that his replacement wasn't even half as physically pleasing (or strong) a creature as the one she had been waiting for.

But when he suddenly showed up much later in the fight to save his comrade, she got a second and last chance to fulfil her desire to crush him. Which was yet again preempted, this time by her comrade's treachery – which in turn brought about her horrible demise. Given their circumstances, she knew she would never get another chance to see him. If he died his soul would indubitably go to the opposite of where she was sentenced to. He was noble and heroic; whereas she was debauched and cruel. And so, his soul was destined for boring holy heaven while she was to be eternally incarcerated in HFIL to atone for her crimes until her dark soul reformed of its own. Which of course, she reckoned was never going to happen.

Or that's what she thought.

Until he proved her wrong.

The fateful yet completely unexpected encounter rekindled her lust to strike him down from his _high and mighty sanctimonious pedestal_. And yet all thoughts of animosity were purged, the *first moment he looked her straight in the eye before they faced off. She didn't have time to register what had actually happened, but she remembered thinking how much of a waste it was that someone as strong (and fine) as him had strayed from the path of evil. And as she watched his body slowly being drained of life in the hands of his tormentors, she soon forgot why she wanted to have a part in it for the longest time; even finding herself lost in thoughts never in her whole villainous life did she imagine she could be lost in. Somewhere inside of her a most alienating impulse took root and burgeoned so fast- that by the time her conscious mind's fingers could get a hold on it and weed it out, she realized that she was powerless to; Because the idea had already been planted too deeply in her to resist: _She needed to save him no matter what; even at the cost of her own life; even if there was no justifiable reason behind it._ And yet- so new and unaccustomed to such compassionate feelings and tendencies that she genuinely did not know how to act on it; confused and conflicted as to why he was suddenly so important to her and the numerous unanswered questions it entailed.

Only someone with a death wish would enter HFIL's restricted levels _without actually being dead first_. The highly concentrated amount of negative Ki in its bowels were more than enough to crush an average body, and it was only a matter of time before they're swallowed whole; body, mind, and soul. She knew that Piccolo Daimaoh Jr. was anything but average. But still- even the most powerful souls did not stand a chance when exposed to the poisonous energies for prolonged periods. The Namek wouldn't have suffered as much if he simply surrendered to the inevitable. And yet, he refused to yield and chose to fight to the very end. _How could someone like him stand to remain so pure in the face of such intense pain and torture?_ And more so, what reasons compelled him to do so? Such powerful reasons it must be that even at the cost of his own life and his soul's damnation, he remained resolute against even the full force of HFIL's most evil.

She tasted tears on her lips, and it took a long time before she acknowledged they were hers. She had forgotten what it felt like to cry. It had been too long ago since she allowed herself to succumb to such a weakness. But the more she witnessed him defy everything she had ever come to believe her whole messed-up and meaningless life, the more they poured against her will. And even before his beaten and bloody body hit the ground from a final devastating blow… she found her heart unable to bear remaining on the opposing side of him for much longer.

It was the irony of ironies.

**-x-**

The Namek merely chose to glare at the gift she was holding with utmost suspicion, as though it were something odious and it was taking all of his willpower not to set the innocent pillow on fire with the laser beams from his eyes.

Zangya laughed, "Take it easy, it's not a Saibaman or anything as awful! It's only a harmless –and rather comfortable- pillow! Trust me, it won't bite." And with a more emphatic shove toward his chest (or what she could reach of it), she entreated, "Take it, Piccolo- _kun_ , * _onegai~_?"

"I have no need for such things," he finally acknowledged, though barely above a whisper, his cheeks colouring at the embarrassing situation he was in- but still in that usual riveting voice that made her unconsciously bite her lip in an effort to quell a hidden desire it awakened in her.

"Right…" The Heranian ex-mercenary lowered her arms, aware that almost everyone at the party had stopped whatever they were doing and were all eyes and ears on the two of them. She leaned forward and mussitated so low that only someone with superhuman hearing would be able to pick up her words, "I get it. You're just shy because everyone else is looking, aren't you?" Then without waiting for a reply, she smiled a smile that conveyed that she wouldn't so easily be dissuaded; and with a flick of her long braided hair, she turned on her heels and hummed, "I'll just put it in your room later when we get back to the temple then."

Piccolo watched her walk away carrying the big fluffy pink pillow with an even bigger red ribbon tied around it, quite disconcerted that she was going to defile his resting space with that overly-feminine article just as she had so sweetly threatened she would. He couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in distaste, although he said nothing. At that, the tension dropped from the air, and everyone went back to whatever it was they were doing.

Well, everyone except a certain teenage demi-Saiyajin that is, who was always especially concerned for him. And though he pretended to carry on with the merriment, he kept his eye on Piccolo from a distance; finding the pensive look on the Namek's face rather perturbing. Sensing this at once, Piccolo glanced in the teenager's direction, their eyes meeting knowingly, as he gave a telepathic assurance that everything was fine.

_'Still worried that she's up to something?'_

_'You could say that.'_

After some moments wherein Gohan pretended to be absorbed in refilling his glass with fruit punch, he asked, _'What if she really just likes you?'_

To that Piccolo only scowled inwardly, memories of their recent misadventures in HFIL still fresh. _'She tried to kill you once when she was alive, Gohan. Then she tried to kill us both when she was dead. I don't think it's logical to want to kill someone one minute, then suddenly like them the next.'_

 _'I don't know…'_ A very light blush becoming apparent on the boy's cheeks, which Piccolo more of felt than saw. _'Feelings are not necessarily logical most of the time…'_

_'And your point being?'_

_'What if… well, what if she really does like you? What would you do, *Piccolo-san?'_

At this point, they found their gazes locked onto each other again from across the spacious lawn, amidst the hustle and bustle of the lively festivity around and between them.

Piccolo's brows furrowed a bit, finding the idea absurd, to say the least. He merely released a mental huff, _'Nothing.'_

To which Gohan smiled broadly, as if in gratitude. 'I'm glad.' He left the part about his agonizing jealousy unspoken, though he was pretty sure Piccolo sensed it all the same.

Not that Gohan could be blamed for his distress. It was no secret that the new experimental member of the Z-Senshi had a special interest in the Namek; constantly showering him with more attention than others from the moment they returned from HFIL with her soul in tow. In exchange for her revival, she pledged allegiance and loyalty to their cause. But what understandably piqued their curiosities, was how she declared Piccolo her saviour whom she was now fully indebted to, in response to why Piccolo and Gohan had brought her -an enemy- back with them in the first place; adding that that in itself was a guarantee of her loyalty.

But it soon became clear that she was more than just "grateful" towards Piccolo, as she went as far as ask to be allowed to live with him in *Kami no Shinden, to which Gohan (who was -at this point in our story- somewhat "engaged" to the Namek) did not take very well. Upon finding out about their living arrangements, he wasted no time in going there to vehemently express his opposition to the idea. And that was how, the young demi-Saiyajin and the Heranian ex-mercenary had an imminent face-off there many more weeks ago, right in front of a small audience consisting of Dende, Mr. Popo, and Piccolo.

"With all due respect, Dende-sama. I know Zangya-san has *proved her worth to enter the sacred temple, but I think it would be best to give her quarters in the Tenkai for now, instead of Kami no Shinden."

Dende and Mr. Popo stared speechless for some moments, always quite taken aback at the boy's rare bouts of assertiveness especially in what seemed to them a trivial matter.

Piccolo mistook it for worry at first. The boy did tend to be overly protective of him. _'Gohan…'_ he began telepathically, intending to assure him that he believed he wasn't going to be in any danger from her staying -even if he didn't like the idea himself- but was interrupted and utterly dumbfounded at what followed next…

"Oh, aren't you just the _cutest jealous little thing_?" Zangya purred in an overly patronizing tone, slowly approaching the boy. **_The reason_** for Piccolo's permanent reform; and she couldn't help but feel spiteful towards the seemingly innocent and attractive lovestruck youth all over again. Gohan took a fighting stance, and the air began to crackle with tension as their Ki levels rose. "Don't you worry your pretty little face, lover boy. As tempting as it may be, I don't plan on seducing your precious Piccolo. It's quite sickeningly obvious that he only has eyes for you, and I'm not the kind who'd seduce men who are already taken… Well, at least _not anymore_ …"

Gohan and Piccolo visibly coloured at the same time, and Zangya laughed rather indulgently at the sight, much to the utter unease of the other two unwilling spectators.

When Gohan had left, but not before kissing Piccolo passionately on the lips, not even caring anymore if they were being gaped at, Zangya looked up at the flustered and blushing Namek with faraway longing in her eyes.

"I'm so jealous…" she sighed. "I wish somebody loved me like that."

That random comment stirred him out of his shock somewhat, and he found it hard to come to terms with the idea that someone like her who was young and becoming had not been someone special to anyone. "Surely you jest," he had blurted out before he could stop himself, and he mentally slapped his forehead for it. He had vowed to avoid speaking to her unless absolutely necessary, and here he was spouting nonsense at the drop of a hat.

It was too late, however, as he saw the effect of his remark all over her face. She was smiling from ear to ear, eyes twinkling in amusement. "That has to be the nicest, sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me so far."

Piccolo closed his eyes with a sigh, confusion and some amount of frustration set upon his twitching brow. And before he could process it, she had hovered off the ground a little and leaned in to give a quick but tender kiss teasingly upon the edge of his lips, dangerously close to where it still tingled from the demi-Saiyajin's kiss. His eyes popped open, feeling an indignant shriek threatening to erupt from his chest. But then a slender finger was softly pressed over his lips, effectively preventing it from escaping.

"Thank you." Then she leaned into his ear to purr in a breathy and seductive voice, "It's really too bad you're already in love with your _nauseously_ sweet student Gohan-kun and that I've decided to give this goodie-two-shoes act a try… Because I would have _really loved_ to get him out of the picture and _have you all to myself_." And before he could belt out a retort (not that he was collected enough to, after a comment like that), she had already landed a considerable distance from him, waving as she walked away with her back turned to him. "But you never know. I'd make sure to remind your dearest darling to hang on extra tightly all the same. True, you may have made me want to be a good girl now… But you _also_ make me want to be a bad girl all over again. _If you know what I mean_ …"

Piccolo frantically wiped the spot where she had kissed him, feeling his face burn even more; not missing the innuendo in her voice as she said his name in that very same fashion that was so singularly Gohan…

"Until tomorrow, _Piccolo-san. Sweet dreams,_ " she sweetly bade him before blasting off to her designated quarters at the Tenkai.

Predictably, both sweet dreams and sleep eluded Gohan and Piccolo that night…

**The End.**

**Author's Note:**

>  ***Piccolo-"kun"** \- Not translatable. A suffix of endearment usually for little boys, or someone you are really close to.
> 
>  ***amranxis** – Obviously a made up name. But it is a play on _amaranth_ if you noticed.
> 
>  ***Bloomer** \- Bulma's real English name.
> 
>  ***different fighter** – References to the "Battle Island" movie scattered in this fic.
> 
>  ***first moment he looked at her** – From an event in a story of mine yet to be published.
> 
>  ***onegai** \- In this context, it means "please".
> 
>  ***Piccolo-san** \- What Gohan fondly calls Piccolo in the original Japanese version. It has no exact equivalent in English.
> 
>  ***Kami no Shinden** – God's/Kami's Temple. A play of words in Japanese that is untranslatable.
> 
>  ***proved her worth** \- From events in a yet to be published fic. But me and Musey (my muse) deliberately amended the inconsistencies in the canon plot later on that anyone can set foot in the temple. I retained the original concept first introduced that only the worthy can enter Kami no Shinden.
> 
> * * *
> 
> An experimental first attempt at DBZ fanfiction (which was first written 20 years ago). The original was a ZanPJR (ZangyaxPiccoloJR) when I shipped them before. But I became reacquainted with Gohan in a very intimate way and I was instantly set straight as a GohanxPiccolo shipper (I still find one-sided ZangyaxPiccolo cute, though). This is one of those pieces that just begged to be written but I am not really happy with the outcome. Still, thanks for reading! The artwork featured here is mine. A very old piece when I used to ship them waaaaaaay back in the days of yore. Haha. (Sorry, Zangya, I still love you, but I realized my err.)
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Disclaimer: Dragon Ball/Z/GT/Xenoverse/Super** /etc.belong to their respective owners. I own nothing except this derivative fanwork which I do not profit from.
> 
> * * *
> 
> (01/09/2002 - 12/24/2015)  
>  (Revised: 12/30/2015 & 08/12/2016)


End file.
